Honestly, if I as a customer, had an idea that someone at a shop would pull that kind of stuff, I'd walk out and loudly let everyone of the other customers know what they just tried to pull on my way out the door. And then I'd tell everyone I know too. It's good you are there to keep them honest or you may not have a job to come back to soon. Especially in an economy like this, the worst thing you can do is rip people off. Just do it right and honestly and you will always have a business. News gets around fast, especially if it's
bad news.
I'd go with new foam. Maybe memory foam if it would be comfy for longer rides. Since you're going to be sitting forward, I'd opt for the most comfy seat I could come up with. The #1 gripe about most bikes is the seat hurting your hindparts on long rides.
We are in Eugene, OR today. It's a very cool, very small city. Large hippy, pagan, organic (all kinds of herbs
), vegan, pierced, tattooed contingency here. Not all of it is our cup of tea (at least not all at once and to the extreme you see it here) but overall some very cool cats to hang with. We will probably settle here someday, outside the city though. We are country kids, ya know. I'd like to commute on bike (bicycle), so if I'm within 10-15 miles (one way) of a job, I'll be okay. More than that can be a drag on a daily basis, especially if it rains. At least it's flatter here. Portland hills kinda suck when you gotta pedal them.